Social and Economic Instability in Costa Rica

Pre-conditions for Militarization

Bibliographic Data

ID4074065
AuthorsPat Lauderdale (Council on Foreign Relations, corresponding author)
Year1986
Volume6
Issue2
Pages236-244
Publication date1986-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReview of Policy Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1541-132X • E-ISSN: 1541-1338
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1541-1338.1986.tb00690.x
OpenAlexW2143209474
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited9

Controversy continues to surround the issue of militarization in Costa Rica. On one side, claims are made that external forces such as the Reagan administration or other foreign powers have created the recent period of social and economic instability in order to militarize Costa Rica and extend military influence in Central America. On the other hand, it has been argued that some of these external agents are simply offering aid to their Costa Rican friends during a period of social and economic instability. Similar contentions suggest that Costa Rica is only protecting itself from its neighbor to the north, Nicaragua, or that the present move toward militarization is only the professionalization of the police force. This paper examines some of the conditions that promote militarization in Costa Rica and explores moral, economic, and political issues related to the militarization of a country that has pursued a "no army" policy for almost forty years

Development economics · Economics · Militarization · Political economy · Political instability · Political science · Politics · Professionalization · Sociology · Global Political and Social Dynamics · International Relations in Latin America · Law · World Systems and Global Transformations

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